There are numerous processes directed to the manufacture of fluorinated organic compounds. Many of these processes involve the reaction of an organic starting material, such as chloroalkane and/or a chloroalkene, with hydrogen fluoride (“HF”) in the presence of a fluorination catalyst to produce the desired fluorinated compound or compounds. The product stream from this type of reaction typically includes, in addition to the fluorinated organic compound or compounds, unreacted chloroalkane and/or chloroalkene starting materials and unreacted HF. It is common in such processes to separate the unreacted starting materials from the product stream and to recycle those components to the reaction step.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,780,815 discloses a process for preparing a fluorination catalyst using a low pressure activating step followed by a high pressure activating step. U.S. Pat. No. 6,187,280 discloses a process for preparing aluminum fluoride having an essentially gamma crystalline structure and a surface area of at least 150 m2/g and pore volume not lower than 0.3 cm3/g by fluorinating alumina with gaseous HF at a temperature higher than 300° to 400° C. wherein the gaseous HF is diluted with an inert gas and has a partial pressure of between 0.1 and 0.5 and where the alumina has a surface area of at least 150 m2/g and from 0.5 to 15% by weight of silicon oxide. International Patent Application number PCT/EP2004/051624 discloses a process for activation of AlF3 based catalyst by treating crude AlF3 for more than 5 hours with a gas stream at a temperature from 300° to 450° C. US application No. 2005/0080302 discloses a process for the manufacture of halocarbons with HF using a Cr2O3 catalyst prepared by pyrolysis of (NH4)2Cr2O7 to produce Cr2O3 and pretreating with HF. The temperature of the reaction can be from 200° C. to 400° C. and the pressure is not critical and is selected so that the reaction starting materials and products are maintained in the vapor state at the operating temperature.
The present inventor recognized a need in the art for an improved fluorination catalyst and a process for the preparation of fluorination catalyst which will result in improved conversion, selectivity and/or yield of fluorinated organic compounds and increased catalyst life.